The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[Micky Do]

The one downside to the NUCs is the external power brick which I would hope a new Mac Mini wouldn't adopt. I love my built in PSU.

The original Mac Mini form (2005 - 2009) had an external power supply, which is a bit of a hassle. One of the main reasons I went for a Mac Mini was that I wanted something easily occasionally transportable, but I have n This term I take my 2009 model to work to use in class (with an LCD projector) once a week (more frequently than in the past). Losing the external power supply is a big improvement for the current form. The external power brick will almost certainly never return.

Absolutely. Apple doesn't care, and I don't blame them. This Mini-fetish-thing (because that is what is it) is so niche that it is ridiculous. But I am confident that, long after the Mini is officially killed-off, this thread will continue because those who perpetuate it are addicted to it.
Oh well, it's either that or unicorns, I guess...

New Mac Minis will almost certainly continue to come, albeit less frequently than in days of yore, thus this thread will almost certainly be perpetuated by those for whom the Mac Mini is relevant…… and will almost certainly continue to draw the scorn of irrelevant others.

Sounds like the 2017 Mini rumors are gathering momentum. Has it been worth the wait? Will we be disappointed again?

The new Mac Mini, which is almost certainly coming sooner or later, will almost certainly be evolutionary, not revolutionary. Dilettantes, cynics, and geeks expecting Pro specs on a Mini budget, will almost certainly be disappointed.

 

[bopajuice]

The original Mac Mini form (2005 - 2009) had an external power supply, which is a bit of a hassle. One of the main reasons I went for a Mac Mini was that I wanted something easily occasionally transportable, but I have n This term I take my 2009 model to work to use in class (with an LCD projector) once a week (more frequently than in the past). Losing the external power supply is a big improvement for the current form. The external power brick will almost certainly never return.


New Mac Minis will almost certainly continue to come, albeit less frequently than in days of yore, thus this thread will almost certainly be perpetuated by those for whom the Mac Mini is relevant…… and will almost certainly continue to draw the scorn of irrelevant others.


The new Mac Mini, which is almost certainly coming sooner or later, will almost certainly be evolutionary, not revolutionary. Dilettantes, cynics, and geeks expecting Pro specs on a Mini budget, will almost certainly be disappointed.

With technology ever accelerating at a faster pace, waiting three or four years for a refresh will almost certainly doom a product.

 

[Micky Do]

With technology ever accelerating at a faster pace, waiting three or four years for a refresh will almost certainly doom a product.

Is relevant tech really accelerating at a faster pace? Time was that computer tech was changing by leaps and bounds, but forty years on from the arrival of the PC increments are smaller. The current Mac Mini, even with 3 year-old hardware runs current operating systems and apps, and will probably be good for a few more years.

The need to keep up with the latest hardware to run the latest software is less than it was 20 years ago. Then it was all about getting the latest and best specs available to "future proof" a computer. Now it is more about getting specs to suit your current and/or anticipated needs.

 

[bopajuice]

Is relevant tech really accelerating at a faster pace? Time was that computer tech was changing by leaps and bounds, but forty years on from the arrival of the PC increments are smaller. The current Mac Mini, even with 3 year-old hardware runs current operating systems and apps, and will probably be good for a few more years.

The need to keep up with the latest hardware to run the latest software is less than it was 20 years ago. Then it was all about getting the latest and best specs available to "future proof" a computer. Now it is more about getting specs to suit your current and/or anticipated needs.

I bought a mid level 2014 Mac mini a few months back. I thought it would be good enough to meet my modest needs. I expected it to be a bit slower than newer technology, so I thought I was prepared and lowered my expectations, but I did not expect it to be "that" slow. It had the 1TB spinner in it. It is painfully slow, and the graphics look a lot worse than the MacBook Air I used to run with my external monitor. Resolution is lower as well. It gets the job done but barely.

I then complained about the lack of performance on another thread and got berated for expecting a spinning hard drive to perform to current standards. The fact that I bought the computer as a "new" computer with the specs that Apple offered did not matter. Apple customers are pretty lenient when it comes to overlooking outdated hardware, but become very critical when a person complains about said product.

 

[majkom]

I bought a mid level 2014 Mac mini a few months back. I thought it would be good enough to meet my modest needs. I expected it to be a bit slower than newer technology, so I thought I was prepared and lowered my expectations, but I did not expect it to be "that" slow. It had the 1TB spinner in it. It is painfully slow, and the graphics look a lot worse than the MacBook Air I used to run with my external monitor. Resolution is lower as well. It gets the job done but barely.

I then complained about the lack of performance on another thread and got berated for expecting a spinning hard drive to perform to current standards. The fact that I bought the computer as a "new" computer with the specs that Apple offered did not matter. Apple customers are pretty lenient when it comes to overlooking outdated hardware, but become very critical when a person complains about said product.

there is no way air gives better resolution than mid level mini, u set it wrong, thats all.. and slow spinner, maybe you should check before you buy any config, what are u buying, you can config mini with fussion drive or fast ssd...

 

[bopajuice]

there is no way air gives better resolution than mid level mini, u set it wrong, thats all.. and slow spinner, maybe you should check before you buy any config, what are u buying, you can config mini with fussion drive or fast ssd...

Straight from Apple:

Early 2015 MacBook Air

Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors.

2014 Mac mini

Support for up to two displays at 2560 by 1600 pixels, both at millions of colors

My Samsung 4k monitor looks better with the MacBook Air.

 

[Micky Do]

I bought a mid level 2014 Mac mini a few months back. I thought it would be good enough to meet my modest needs. I expected it to be a bit slower than newer technology, so I thought I was prepared and lowered my expectations, but I did not expect it to be "that" slow. It had the 1TB spinner in it. It is painfully slow, and the graphics look a lot worse than the MacBook Air I used to run with my external monitor. Resolution is lower as well. It gets the job done but barely.

I then complained about the lack of performance on another thread and got berated for expecting a spinning hard drive to perform to current standards. The fact that I bought the computer as a "new" computer with the specs that Apple offered did not matter. Apple customers are pretty lenient when it comes to overlooking outdated hardware, but become very critical when a person complains about said product.

Looks like you went for something under-specced for your needs / expectations, especially since you came from a MacBook Air, which has SSD storage. Going back to HDD will seem slow for sure.

You would likely have found more satisfaction with with Fusion Drive, which is standard on the top of the range model off the shelf, and can be specced on custom orders of the bottom and mid range models. For even better performance SSD can be specced on custom ordered mid and top of the range models.

It is not a case of out-dated hardware; HDD, Fusion Drive and SSD are all current, with each being better suited to different budgets, purposes or expectations.
[doublepost=1504340295][/doublepost]

Straight from Apple:

Early 2015 MacBook Air

Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors.

2014 Mac mini

Support for up to two displays at 2560 by 1600 pixels, both at millions of colors

My Samsung 4k monitor looks better with the MacBook Air.

The whole picture:

 

[majkom]

Straight from Apple:

Early 2015 MacBook Air

Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors.

2014 Mac mini

Support for up to two displays at 2560 by 1600 pixels, both at millions of colors

My Samsung 4k monitor looks better with the MacBook Air.

You can connect two Apple Thunderbolt Displays up to it via the Thunderbolt 2 ports, or the equivalent: The Mac mini enables you to drive two displays at 2560 x 1600 pixels. But the Mac mini also has a HDMI port that complies with the HDMI 1.4 spec.

This HDMI port can be used to drive a 4K display, albeit at slower refresh speeds. So with that HDMI port, you can connect a 4K display and expect to see 3840 x 2160 resolution at 30 Hz, or 4096 x 2160 resolution at 24 Hz. Again, that's the same as the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro.

 

[Count Blah]

New Mac Minis will almost certainly continue to come, albeit less frequently than in days of yore, thus this thread will almost certainly be perpetuated by those for whom the Mac Mini is relevant…… and will almost certainly continue to draw the scorn of irrelevant others.


The new Mac Mini, which is almost certainly coming sooner or later, will almost certainly be evolutionary, not revolutionary. Dilettantes, cynics, and geeks expecting Pro specs on a Mini budget, will almost certainly be disappointed.

But according to you 1000+ days without an update is A-OK, RIGHT?

Who ever asked for "Pro" specs in a mini? How about not making it worse than the prior version?

How about updating it more than once in a 1/2 decade?

 

[bopajuice]

Looks like you went for something under-specced for your needs / expectations, especially since you came from a MacBook Air, which has SSD storage. Going back to HDD will seem slow for sure.

You would likely have found more satisfaction with with Fusion Drive, which is standard on the top of the range model off the shelf, and can be specced on custom orders of the bottom and mid range models. For even better performance SSD can be specced on custom ordered mid and top of the range models.

It is not a case of out-dated hardware; HDD, Fusion Drive and SSD are all current, with each being better suited to different budgets, purposes or expectations.
[doublepost=1504340295][/doublepost]

The whole picture:
View attachment 715557

Interesting. If I go with a lower refresh for better resolution what will be different (besides better resolution)? Does a lower refresh affect anything that I will notice?

 

[Boyd01]

But according to you 1000+ days without an update is A-OK, RIGHT.

Let's be fair @Count Blah - the quote that you attributed to @Yvan256 was actually posted by @Micky Do . Would hate to see someone else get the credit for the wisdom that he shares here.

 

[Count Blah]

Let's be fair @Count Blah - the quote that you attributed to @Yvan256 was actually posted by @Micky Do . Would hate to see someone else get the credit for the wisdom that he shares here.

Corrected, thanks.

I've moved on and have getten better hardware. I simply could not wait any longer for an updated mini. Apple lost the sale of two new mini - one to a PC and one to a used iMac(that person moved on to a PC as well).

So in Apple's infinite wisdom of not losing the sale of a single, more expensive machine to a mini - they have lost two mini sales. Oh well, as I say in my SIG, Tim simply doesn't want me as a customer anymore.

I'm still holding out hope, as I am advising a couple other family members to hang on for an updated mini. They don't want AIOs. But they don't hold on too much longer.

 

[EightyTwenty]

You can connect two Apple Thunderbolt Displays up to it via the Thunderbolt 2 ports, or the equivalent: The Mac mini enables you to drive two displays at 2560 x 1600 pixels. But the Mac mini also has a HDMI port that complies with the HDMI 1.4 spec.

This HDMI port can be used to drive a 4K display, albeit at slower refresh speeds. So with that HDMI port, you can connect a 4K display and expect to see 3840 x 2160 resolution at 30 Hz, or 4096 x 2160 resolution at 24 Hz. Again, that's the same as the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro.

The Mac Mini cannot do 4K @ 60Hz.

Both the 2015 Macbook Air and the 2015 retina Macbook Pro can.

Full stop.

 

[Cape Dave]

I bought a mid level 2014 Mac mini a few months back. I thought it would be good enough to meet my modest needs. I expected it to be a bit slower than newer technology, so I thought I was prepared and lowered my expectations, but I did not expect it to be "that" slow. It had the 1TB spinner in it. It is painfully slow, and the graphics look a lot worse than the MacBook Air I used to run with my external monitor. Resolution is lower as well. It gets the job done but barely.

I then complained about the lack of performance on another thread and got berated for expecting a spinning hard drive to perform to current standards. The fact that I bought the computer as a "new" computer with the specs that Apple offered did not matter. Apple customers are pretty lenient when it comes to overlooking outdated hardware, but become very critical when a person complains about said product.

And another one learns what I have been saying for years... Spinners Suck. They have no place inside any computer sold today. Apple of all companies knows this, they just cannot help gaining an extra damn $4.53 in profit!

 

[bopajuice]

And another one learns what I have been saying for years... Spinners Suck. They have no place inside any computer sold today. Apple of all companies knows this, they just cannot help gaining an extra damn $4.53 in profit!

Since I got the mid level, it was set up for a fusion drive and has the plug for the connector on the motherboard. I ordered the connector part and an SSD. I will use a 256ssd as my main drive, and the 1TB spinner for back ups, music, and photos. Problem solved.

 

[majkom]

The Mac Mini cannot do 4K @ 60Hz.

Both the 2015 Macbook Air and the 2015 retina Macbook Pro can.

Full stop.

True. Still resolution is same - bopajuice was complaining about resolution...

 

[Miat]

Problem solved.

One problem solved.

Still no quad core, or 4K @ 60Hz.

Though being able to offload bulk number-crunching to an external GPU via TB3, as we will be able to in High Sierra, will probably solve those two. If it works and the price is okay, then that is a whole new ballgame.

 

[Cape Dave]

Since I got the mid level, it was set up for a fusion drive and has the plug for the connector on the motherboard. I ordered the connector part and an SSD. I will use a 256ssd as my main drive, and the 1TB spinner for back ups, music, and photos. Problem solved.

I am very happy that your problem is solved. Now, if only Apple could solve their problem of selling slow crappy computers to begin with

 

[294307]

Still no quad core, or 4K @ 60Hz.

And that is exactly why I had to buy an iMac . I bought a really nice BenQ 4K monitor last summer and was super excited to use it with my Mac Mini - only to find out it won't work! I had to decide between putting up with the limitations of the Mac Mini and opting for a 1440p monitor at most, or buying an iMac instead. I thought I'd wait to see if Apple will update the Mac Mini but a few months later it just became clear that isn't happening, so I decided to buy an iMac instead. I'm amazed they've still not updated the thing. It doesn't work with 4K displays and we're close to 2018. Incredible.

In hindsight the iMac is a really nice computer and no matter what I throw at it, it just keeps going - it's great. But I'm still very unhappy Apple hasn't updated the Mac Mini, because I can imagine there are others in the same situation I was in - they want a Mac Mini with the versatility it offers but better performance and 4K @ 60 Hz. Well, I'm glad I didn't wait for nothing.

 

[Crosscreek]

Maybe people should start paying attention to articles like this.


http://appleinsider.com/articles/17...e-with-legacy-hdds-and-possibly-fusion-drives

May be important to some.

 

[DesertSurfer]

Maybe people should start paying attention to articles like this.


http://appleinsider.com/articles/17...e-with-legacy-hdds-and-possibly-fusion-drives

May be important to some.

Very interesting. And yet, Apple is still selling 5400 spinners in new iMac and "new" Mac Mini's. Will they be obsolete in a month or two? Stay tuned.

 

[Boyd01]

Maybe people should start paying attention to articles like this.

From that article:

- - - - - - - - - - -
The results on the SATA-3 SSD in a 2012 i7 Mac mini were more dramatic. A boot from a fully shut down state normally took about 42 seconds. Following High Sierra installation, boot times dropped to 64 percent of that in Sierra, taking only 27 seconds.
- - - - - - - - - - -

I have a 2012 i7 Mini with an original Apple 256gb internal SSD. It boots to the desktop with Mountain Lion in 14 seconds from the internal SSD. It boots to the desktop with Sierra from an external 1TB Samsung T3 SSD in 31 seconds.

This is progress?

 

[AFEPPL]

Comparing sierra to high sierra boot times is not really scientific. Oranges and nuts...

 

[Boyd01]

So it is progress?

Seriously, is this just because High Sierra is still beta? And that quote seems a little ambiguous, it implies that their mini took 42 seconds to boot under Sierra. That seems really slow from the internal drive considering that I boot in 31 seconds from a USB SSD that is at least 25% slower than the internal drive.

 

[toke lahti]

And another one learns what I have been saying for years... Spinners Suck. They have no place inside any computer sold today. Apple of all companies knows this, they just cannot help gaining an extra damn $4.53 in profit!

I prefer Fusion drive. For the price of very small ssd, you get speed of ssd and space of hdd.